The Yates Family Story

Thank you so much to Carol for sharing this very difficult story, we so appreciate it.

“Our sons, who both died in 1981, had a life before then, so I should like to start their story from the beginning.

“My name is Carol, and my husband David and I bought a little cottage in rural Lancashire a few months before our marriage and this is where all three of our children were born – a bit like Call the Midwife scenario – so we had three under the age of three. Peter the eldest had a neck abscess when he was about one, Robert had septic spots and Catherine just survived without problems. I was concerned about my not keeping the cottage or the boys clean enough.

“When Catherine was 4 weeks old, we moved to a newly built bungalow in a nearby bigger village and then, another 4 weeks later, we went to live in Switzerland for 6 months. It was whilst there, the medical problems worsened and Robert spent 3 months in the County Hospital mainly in isolation. How do you convey love through a window?? Peter too was under the care of the Children’s Doctor. No diagnosis was made.

“On returning to the UK, we were referred to the Manchester Children’s Hospital and, after about a couple of years, they suggested we transfer to Great Ormond Street Hospital. The boys were in and out of Ward 3 many times over several years but Sister Mac would always make sure that a bed was available on her ward even moving other children elsewhere. She loved both boys.

Shortly after the transfer, we moved to live in Evesham so the train link into London helped, though most Sundays, when either boy was in GOSH, we would motor there which was easy back in the late 1960’s/early 70’s. Otherwise, we would telephone the ward every evening and have a chat with whoever was in hospital.

Diagnosis
“The diagnosis was made – Chronic Granulomatous Disease – an immunological problem where the cells could ingest bacteria but not kill it resulting in abscesses – liver ones being very painful. They could cope with viruses. They were something like 5th and 6th in the country to be diagnosed with CGD. All the medication meant that their growth rate was slow so both boys did not reach average stature.

Around the age of 13/14, the boys transferred to the John Ratcliffe in Oxford. Again they received excellent care and encouragement to live as normal a life as possible. Bone marrow transplants were mooted but neither Catherine nor ourselves were good enough matches.

“Peter was off school for nearly 2 years, but had one of the Swan Lane School teachers visit us at home for lessons. Yes, he passed the 11 Plus but I do remember some adverse comments because he had taken the exam at home with a teacher, adjudicating!

“Robert joined Prince Henry’s a year later when it had become Comprehensive. Catherine followed two years later. Peter gained a place at Bristol University reading Law, but did not manage to get back to start his 2nd year. Robert was on a photographic course at Leeds College. We moved from Evesham to a village near Skipton in N. Yorkshire in 1978 – poor Catherine was half way through her GCSE’s so had to cope with a different examination board.

We were living there when, in late 1980, Peter’s health declined and he died in the John Radcliffe just 5 days after his 20th birthday in January 1981. Robert was also in another Oxford Hospital at the same time having had a mastoid operation. I was staying in the John Radcliffe and David drove down – difficult telling Robert that his brother had died – and he knowing he suffered from the same cruel disease.

“Life continued, a good holiday abroad was enjoyed but then Robert declined and died in the November in the John Ratcliffe Hospital. Both boys were cremated in Skipton with services in Kildwick Church led by David’s cousin’s husband who was either at Marsden then or Pontefract. We planted trees in the Kildwick churchyard by the canal. In January 1982, David returned to work with Allen Gears in Pershore and would come back north most weekends. Cathy was in her final year of A levels at Skipton Girls School, I was working part-time at the hospital as well as organising the selling of the house. We moved into the welcoming village of Church Lench in July 1982.